Thai Airways just announced to delay by almost a year the introduction of its brand new Airbus A380.
BANGKOK- Put into service since March of this year, the Airbus A380 of Thai Airways International is currently experiencing some technical problems which will now delay the launch of a service to London Heathrow out of Bangkok.
The service was originally due to start on December 1st, but the aircraft will now fly the route “tentatively” during the winter timetable 2014-15 from October 30. Until that date, Thai Airways International will continue to use its ageing Boeing B747, a product which hardly compete with the product from British Airways or of course from Middle-East carriers.
The airline has confirmed the technical changes need to be made to the wing tips, but did not go into specific detail. In a statement the airline said: “Thai Airways regrets to announce that due to important technical modifications, the A380 will not be able to commence its operation on the Heathrow- Bangkok route as planned from December 1, 2013.The introduction of the A380 will make flying between London and Bangkok an even more enjoyable and unforgettable experience and we can only apologise for the unforeseen delay.”
After the introduction of the Airbus A380 on the London route, Thai Airways will continue to offer two daily services to the British capital.
The carrier currently has four Airbus A380 in service. They currently fly out of Bangkok to Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris, Tokyo and Frankfurt. The latest A380 is now serving Frankfurt. Thai plans also to serve Sydney with the A380 to a later date.
When introduced the A380 will operate on its day flight, while an A346 will run on the overnight service.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
